maintained by Lin of Luratia

Privacy Pods

Small structures in public places that serve as protective enclosures for the secure enjoyment of full-immersion virtual reality. Most pods comfortably seat one person and can only be unlocked by a retinal scan of the current occupant, however the civil authorities can override the lock system under court order or in cases of medical emergencies. Some virtual reality addicts have been known to suffer dehydration or malnourishment after excessive periods of podding.

For this reason, some municipalities have enacted laws that limit occupancy to 10 hours. The user’s retinal print is logged in the central Pod Management System, and the use of other pods (pod-hopping) is forbidden for 20 to 40 hours, depending on the municipality.